In pathological examinations of cells or the like, an observation object sample is sliced to perform a microscope observation of the sample.
In general, in order to slice soft tissues and cells so as not to break the tissues and forms of the cells, the sample is embedded in paraffin in advance, and an embedding block is fabricated. Next, the embedding block is thinly sliced (is thinly sectioned) to a thickness of 2 to 5 μm, and a thin section is fabricated. Accordingly, even when an observation object is soft tissues or the like, the soft tissues can be very thinly sliced without destroying the forms of the tissues. Moreover, the thin section is fixed onto a sample table such as a slide glass, and the thin-section sample is fabricated.
In a fabrication process of the thin-section sample, after the thin section is cut out from the embedding block by a cutting blade, the thin section is transported to a predetermined member, and it is necessary to place the thin section onto the sample table (for example, slide glass) in a state where wrinkles, slack, or the like does not exist.
A thin-section sample fabrication apparatus which automates the process and a method of fabricating the same are proposed (for example, refer to Patent Documents 1 and 2).
In a technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, a folded-back end of a belt which is a transporting mechanism is disposed to be inclined to a liquid surface in a liquid tank. A thin section, which is placed on the belt and is transported, is released into the liquid tank, the released thin section is pulled-up by a slide glass which is held to a pulling-up mechanism, and the thin section is placed onto the slide glass.
In a technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, a carrier tape, to which a thin section is adsorbed, moves to an upper portion of a slide glass so that the thin section is placed to a lower surface of the tape. Transfer water drops on an upper surface of the slide glass. When the thin section moves to the upper portion of the slide glass, the carrier tape is bent to the lower portion, and the thin section on the carrier tape is transferred onto the transfer water on the slide glass.